Frozen in Slow Motion
by threehundredandninetyfour
Summary: After sixteen years of anguish, Ella Anderson begins to find solace within the walls of Hogwarts. Possessing abilities that exceed wandlore and a past tainted by suffering, she struggles to accept her new circumstances.
1. Chapter 1

_**/12.36pm, Leaky Cauldron**_

The clatter of cutlery and voices filled the Leaky Cauldron on Saturday afternoon. Behind the counter, Tom the barkeeper was twisting a cup and towel together as he spoke to a customer. The gruff old wizard before him gestured with his spoon, calling enthusiastically between gulps of pea soup.

"Holyheads don't stand a chance in Azkaban against Puddlemere this weekend!" he cried, sending green slush onto the unsuspecting witch to his left. "Sorry, love." Tom rolled his eyes and began cleaning a new goblet. "Listen Tommy," the wizard implored, leaning across the counter, "I'd wager fifty galleons-"

"You mean the fifty you owe me for rent and meals?"

"-that Johnson takes the snitch in the first half hour, and sends the Harpies back to Wales with their tails between their legs!" he cried, clapping his fist to the bench emphatically.

Tom nodded obligingly and turned to restore the polished goblets to their shelves.

"Afternoon, Tom," came a pleasant voice, "your silverware is impeccable as ever."

Tom circled to see a tall, handsome young lad walking from the entrance. He smiled kindly to the barkeeper, pulling his collar as he strode.

"Ah, Mr Pendrige," Tom nodded, moving to shake the boy's hand. "What can I get for you today, sir?"

"I'm alright for the moment thank you, Tom; simply passing through."

Tom dipped his head once more, letting the lad's hand drop. "Getting your school supplies I presume?"

"You presume correct," he confirmed, "Have a good day, Tom."

"You too, Mr Pendrige."

The young man gave a polite nod, turned on his heels and continued through the bar.

"Hmpf," the gruff wizard grunted from behind his empty bowl. "How come I don't get service like that?" he demanded.

"Because," Tom said, taking his towel from the counter, "unlike you, he has enough coin to pay for his services."

_**/12.42pm, Broomstix**_

"Puddlemere, obviously."

"Are you kidding? Harpies, without a doubt."

"You're a git, have you seen Johnson? The kid's a star."

"Yeah, but your precious Puddles can't chase to save their lives!"

"Doesn't matter, the snitch'll be ours in the first ten minutes, and your points won't even count."

"Not if your little Johnson comes anywhere near our beaters! Everyone knows the Holyheads handle their bats as well as their brooms!"

"So, they're rubbish, is basically what you're saying."

"Shove off, Matherson!"

"Make me, Clarke."

"Boys!" the shopkeeper barked, slamming the broom he had been mending onto the counter. "Kindly keep it down, or find your way out!"

"Sorry, Sir," the pair muttered in unison, watching their feet.

"That's alright," the man said, gathering the scattered tail-twigs and resuming his restoration. "But the blond one's right," he spoke, "Harpies don't stand a chance."

"Ha!"

"Shove off, Matherson!"

"Make me, Clarke."

_**/12.49pm, Madam Malkin's Robes **_

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, dear. Hold still now."

The little boy teetered on the stool with his arms outstretched as Madam Malkin worked pins about his waist. His mouth was pressed tight as he focused on not moving.

"You're doing well, Adam. Just a few more pins." His older sister said encouragingly. She sat in the plush arm chair by the door, her nose buried in a thick book.

"There we go," Madam Malkin smiled, straightening to examine her handiwork, "All done." She pulled her wand from her coat and gave it a small wave. The pins melted into the fabric, joining the robes perfectly.

Adam exhaled, letting his arms drop as he stepped down from the stool. Outside, a large white creature caught his attention.

As his sister made to pay for his new robes, he hurried to the window and peered intently out, hoping to sight the doglike figure once more. With his nose pressed to the glass, he held his breath to avoid fogging his vision.

There it was, slinking around the corner. Almost the same height as he was, its fur a shock of white.

"Thank you very much, dear," Madam Malkin said to the girl, "Have a good year at Hogwarts, Adam," she called to the little boy.

"Say thank you to Madam Malkin, Adam," his sister instructed, turning to look at her brother. But he was no longer there. "Adam!"

The door was wide open, the excited babble of the street spilt into the shop. The girl picked her book up from the chair, and with a final 'thank you' over her shoulder to the seamstress, she too was out the door.

"Adam!" she called through the crowd of witches and wizards. "Adam!" she sighted his small brown head bobbing around the corner by Flourish and Blotts. He was standing by the large white creature, his hand held out as though to pat its head. The girl faltered for a moment, absorbing the sheer size of the animal, and the danger that her little brother was in. "Adam!" she shouted frantically, racing towards him. "Adam, stand back! Get away from there!"

Witches and Wizards in passing turned their heads to the commotion. She ran hastily to his side and snatched his hand in hers, dragging him away.

"What on _earth_ were you thinking?" she demanded, "_Never_ do that to me, ever again! Do you hear me, Adam, never!"

Adam had dropped his head respectfully, but was watching the creature from the corner of his eye. "Sorry, Piper," he said in a small voice.

"That's right. You have no idea what that _beast_ is capable of, he could have ripped your hand off in one bite."

She was shaking Adam by the shoulders, but his gaze was still on the white animal. It was sitting on its haunches, watching them patiently, its head cocked slightly to one side.

Piper turned to look at the beast, firmly holding Adam to her side. It was the creature's eyes that caught her attention. They were a brilliant blue, large and wolfish. It just seemed to sit there, as clean and still as any domestic pet she had experienced. Her grip on Adam slackened somewhat.

"Where do you think he came from?" Adam asked, twisting his head to get a better look.

"I don't know," Piper answered, glancing up and down the street. "I bet he belongs to someone."

As the pair began straining their necks in search of its owner, the door of Flourish and Blotts opened. With a slight tinkle of the door chime, a girl exited, carrying her height in school texts. With her face hidden behind the stack of books, neither Piper nor Adam suspected her as the wolf's master. However, as she neared the beast, it rose from its still seated position, and began trailing after her.

"There!" cried Adam, his finger pointing after the girl with all the books. He wriggled out of Piper's clutch, and began racing once more after the white animal.


	2. Chapter 2

_**/12.51, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour**_

The two boys weaved their way through the chairs outside the ice-cream parlour, still bickering about the merit of their favoured quidditch teams.

"Look, Will," the blond boy sighed, obviously beginning to tier from the conversation, "all I'm going to say is: if Puddlemere manages to score a single point, I'll transfigure my guitar into a blast-ended skrewt."

William looked incredulous, "Funny, and here I was, thinking you actually _liked_ your guitar, Matherson." He smiled, giving the smaller boy a playful shove. "Nah, I would never make you do that, Coop. I'd probably just force you to eat your guitar instead." With a final chuckle, William approached the counter. "Hey Florean," he called, "how's business?"

"Mr Clarke, my best customer," the shopkeeper greeted, with a friendly smile, "now that you are here, I suspect we shall be sold out by closing."

William Clarke smiled, "Two scoops of fiery fudge, and one of volcano crunch, please," he requested, staring eagerly at the rainbow of ice-cream flavours.

"Sure, and I'll throw in some rock-choc topping, just for you."

William beamed, pulling Cooper to the counter.

"Just one scoop of strawberry for me, thanks," the blond boy said politely.

William frowned, "Come on, Coop. We need to get some muscle onto your bones," he said lively, poking his friend's slender stomach, "None of this namby-pamby 'strawberry' business." He called over the counter, "Florean, my friend'll have what I'm having, with extra rock-choc topping!"

Cooper rolled his eyes, swatting Will's incessantly poking hand.

"Honestly, Coop, I didn't believe it possibly, but I think you've gotten even girlier since I last saw you," William teased, taking a seat by the entrance to the parlour.

"Oh, Will," Cooper gasped dramatically, sliding into the chair beside his friend, "did I forget to tell you? I took a feminising potion over the holidays, I _am_ a girl now."

The pair laughed and shoved one another as Florean charmed their ice-cream to the table.

"William Clarke, and Cooper Matherson. Now don't you too just look like the loveliest couple I ever laid eyes on."

The two boys looked up from their chuckles and ice-cream, to see a very tall, very well dressed young man looming over them. A smile instantly broke over the taller boy's face, and he moved to greet the pair.

"Nathan," cried William, rising to welcome his friend.

"Or should we say, Mr Pendrige," Cooper added, and he and Will both bowed low in unison. When they rose, the trio broke into laughter and came together in a group hug.

"Florean!" William called over his shoulder, "Another bowl of ice-cream, if we may."

"So," smiled Nathan, taking a seat opposite his two friends, "how have your summers been? Causing havoc as usual I assume?"

"Nathan!" William gasped, looking offended.

"Us? Havoc?" Cooper joined.

Nathan laughed, "So I'll take that as a yes."

"Will broke his mother's vase while demonstrating the 'blazing dragon' to me on his broomstick," Cooper began.

"Sounds dirty," Nathan said, thanking Florean as his ice-cream arrived.

"It's a quidditch move!" cried William.

Nathan nodded, smiling.

"Just because you have an influential family, _Pendrige_, doesn't mean I won't break your jaw!" William cried, flexing his biceps.

"Anyway," Copper laughed. "So we spent the whole day searching for a magic-repair shop that could fix it, only to find Mrs Clarke throw it out when she cleaned the house the next week."

"Which reminds me, Mr Influential-family, can I borrow twenty galleons? I've been running pretty short after that."

Nathan shook his head and laughed. "What would you do without me?"

"Starve, probably, or die embarrassment because I'd have to walk about in my fifth year robes."

Nathan reached into his jacket's inside pocked and withdrew a small, delicately embroidered pouch. "Take what you need," he said, tossing it to William.

"You're the man, Pendrige."

_**/1.17, Outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour**_

"Excuse me," called Adam, darting through the crowd, "Excuse me, sorry."

The wolf was pacing easily at the heels of the girl carrying the books, looking back to Adam as he chased after them. Piper was somewhat slower as she ran, but equally as eager to catch up; if only to keep her brother from harm.

"Hello, Miss. Is this your wolf?" Adam asked, coming to the creature's side.

The girl faltered as she walked, shifting the books in her arms and turning slowly to the boy. The wolf grew slightly rigid and moved closer to her side. She watched Adam cautiously, nodding a simple yes.

"Can I pat him?" Adam persisted, an excited smile on his face. He edged closer to the pair, eyes on the white wolf.

The girl seemed taken aback, twisting awkwardly to peer at the boy over her pile of books. The animals lingered protectively at her feet, watching Adam with a cocked head.

The boy stepped forward. "Here, let me help you with those," he offered, reaching to take the books from the girl.

The wolf jerked forward defensively, pulling its lips away from its teeth. The girl flinched in unison, backing away from his touch. She looked bewildered, gazing at him with large eyes and a knitted brow.

"I just wanted to help," Adam said, pulling back from the wolf.

The girl remained standing in mute confusion as Piper arrived by the boy's side. "Sway," she said quietly, and the wolf sat, hiding its teeth and cocking its head innocently.

"Sorry," puffed Piper, putting her arm around Adam's shoulder. "He loves animals, couldn't resist meeting your... wolf, is it?"

The girl simply looked from one to the other, then glanced around the busy street.

"He's lovely," Piper continued, ignoring her silence. "What's his name?"

The girl turned, inspecting Piper cautiously. She had tight brown ringlets that fell haphazardly about her face. Apparently they had escaped when she ran, for the remainder of her hair was pulled neatly into a plat and tucked behind her ears. Her eyes were the same deep brown as the ringlets, circled by long, dark lashes. She stood with confidence, her angular build giving her the advantage of height. Next to her young brother, her manner seemed quite intense. And it was obvious that they were siblings; both had the same thick eyebrows, the same dark eyes, and the same expression of anticipation.

The boy's gaze however, had not faltered from the wolf; and where his sister made the girl uncomfortable with her stare, _he_ seemed to connect with the animal.

"Sway," the girl softly answered, watching the boy to Piper's disappointment. "He's a snow-wolf."

"A snow-wolf!" cried Adam, shrugging away from Piper's grip and going to the wolf's side. His sister made to stop him, but the wolf appeared friendly enough. She settled for watching them closely, her wand ready in her pocket. "They're so rare," Adam said excitedly, rubbing the wolf's ear.

"Snow-wolf?" Piper asked, "Never heard of them."

"That's because they're _rare_! He's probably one in twenty still alive," he said passionately, examining the beast. "Where in the _world_ did you find him?"

The girl gave a small shrug. "He found me."

_**/1.24, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour**_

"Is that Piper?" Cooper asked, peering past Nathan as the other boys continued to discuss their summers. "It is, look."

William and Nathan both turned to look out the window, sighting the tight, brown curls of another friend.

"What's she doing?" William inquired, squinting to better see through the frosted glass. "Is that- is that a wolf?

"A snow-wolf it looks like," Nathan supplied. "They're very, very rare."

"Let's go say hello," Cooper said, rising to his feet.

"Thanks Florean!" William called to the shopkeeper. He received a smile and a wave in return.

Nathan placed several silver coins upon the table and the trio departed the parlour.

_**/1.24, Outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour**_

"Did you say his name was Sway?" Adam asked, enthralled by the animal. He was rubbing the back of its neck to the wolf's obvious pleasure.

"Yes," the girl answered. She had placed her books on the ground and was looking far more comfortable.

"And what's your name?" Piper questioned in her friendly manner.

"Ella," the girl answered hesitantly, "Ella Anderson".

Piper beamed, "Well this is my brother, Adam Frost," she gestured to the captivated boy, "And I'm Piper Frost. What school do you go to, Ella?"

Ella twisted her lips, and was about to answer when the door to the ice-cream parlour behind them opened with a crack. Three boys exited the shop, all smiling.

"Frost," called the first, marching to Piper's side and trapping her in a tight hug.

"Hello, William," she breathed, unable to move. "You're crushing me."

He loosened his grip and stepped back smiling to allow the other two boys to greet her.

"Cooper, Nathan," she smiled. They embraced in turn and launched into a conversation about their summers, and how curly Piper's hair had become.

Ella silently reached to gather her books, pleased not to be the focus of the attention. While the group chattered enthusiastically about enchantments and quidditch, and a myriad of other things that Ella had never heard of, she wondered how she could pry the little boy away from her wolf.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Piper called, breaking away from the conversation. She walked to Ella's side and said proudly, "this is Ella Anderson, she goes to..." Not knowing the answer, she trailed off, looking to Ella expectantly.

Ella stood silent, carefully regarding the group of students. She felt awkward and embarrassed. What did they care where she went to school or what her name was? Why were they all looking at her with such intrigue? She felt her face begin to heat, and her heart pounded in her chest.

"With all those books, you must be going somewhere?" William said, amazed.

"Or are you homeschooled?" asked Piper, "I have a friend who's homeschooled."

Ella shook her head, and cleared her throat. "I go to Hogwarts," she said.

The other students all looked surprised.

"Really?" William questioned sharply, "I've never seen you around before."

"I'm new," Ella spoke with a small voice. She was twisting her hands together before her, watching her fingers snake about each other.

Piper beamed, "Excellent!" throwing her arm around Ella's shoulders, as though about to lead her somewhere.

Nathan and Cooper rolled their eyes and exchanged a knowing glance. Nathan stepped forwards to prise the nervous girl away from Piper.

"You'll have to pardon _Curls_ over here," he said, gesturing to Piper, "she can get a little intense. Any opportunity for her to show initiative gets her a little excited. You'd probably be best to step this way."

Ella looked up to the boy hesitantly, her mouth slightly open. Nathan was exceptionally tall, with dark black hair and deep grey eyes to match. Towering over her, his smile looked warm, but he had an air that made Ella uncertain.

"My name is Nathan," he said kindly, leading her away from a disappointed looking Piper.

"Sir Nathan Pendrige the fifth," William said a feigned regal tone, twirling his hand to indicate his friend's importance. "I'm William Clarke," he winked, "captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team."

Nathan and Cooper both gave him a shove for his pompousness. William was practically the same height as Cooper, but carried far more weight, most of it apparently muscle from the strain of his shirt sleeves. His hair was a chocolate brown, and his eyes a dull green. He had a handsome face, and he was obviously aware of it.

"Ignore the git," Cooper said, extending his hand, "Cooper Matherson."

The blond boy was the thinnest of the three, his slender stature exaggerated by the tight fitting clothes he wore. Ella reached to shake his hand with uncertainty. Cooper smiled brilliantly in return, his eyes a flash of blue.

"So what year are you in, Ella?" Nathan asked, as Piper came to stand beside him. She had a renewed look of interest on her face which made Nathan chuckle.

"What?" Piper asked, her hands on her hips.

"Oh, nothing," Nathan said, ruffling her already disgruntled hair.

She swiped his hand away and watched Ella eagerly.

From the ground beside the curb, the snow-wolf gave a happy growl. He had fallen onto his back, and was receiving a very welcome stomach scratch. Adam smiled gleefully, running his fingers through the beast's fur.

The group had turned to watch the wolf and the boy.

"Adam," Piper called, "say hello to everyone."

"Hello everyone," Adam replied absently over his shoulder, not taking his eyes of the wolf.

"Adam!" Piper snapped, beginning to march over to him.

"Leave it, Pipe," Cooper said, grabbing her shoulder and smiling. He pinned her to his side, and although she could easily escape his weak grip, she stilled.

"Shall we get lunch?" William suggested, rubbing his stomach, "I'm starving."

"You just ate a whole bowl of ice-cream," Cooper said, "and half of mine."

"So, what's your point?" William shoved him in the side and began moving down the street. Cooper winced, rubbed his shoulder and followed. The pair bickered into the distance, as Ella moved to retrieve her books from the ground.

"It was nice to meet you," she said as she straightened, giving an awkward nod to Nathan and Piper. "Come on Sway," she beckoned to the wolf, and it leapt upright at once, startling Adam.

"Wait, hold on," Piper cried, as Ella began to walk away, "where are you going?" She hurried to Ella's side, and attempted to pull the books from her arms. Ella looked shocked, flinching from the act as Sway cut between them. Piper persisted, "I can show you around," she insisted.

Nathan stepped forward and held Piper back, "Ignore Curls," he instructed.

"Stop calling me that!" Piper cried, squirming under Nathan's firm grip. He held her easily. Ella was standing motionless, watching Piper as cautiously as when first they met.

"Come," Nathan continued, "have some lunch with us." He gave a very persuasive smile, and slackened his grip on Piper. She stumbled sideways and glared up at him.

Ella glanced down the street, and then back to the pair. Piper had regained her eager expression, Nathan looked calm and inviting.

Ella scrunched her face slightly. "Ok," she said, to her own surprise.

"Good," said Nathan, moving to take the books from her hands. He pulled his wand from his pocket and waved it around the pile, making them hover by his side.

"Excellent!" Piper exclaimed, launching forwards to wrap her arm once more around Ella's shoulder. Nathan chuckled, and they moved down through the bustling crowds of Diagon Alley.


End file.
